Son rescues father from water

Son rescues father from water

A man in his 60s has been rescued at a unpatrolled beach near Narooma.

The man found himself caught in a rip off Handkerchief Beach at about 4.30pm on Thursday.

His wife and son saw the incident unfold and called 000.

The son entered the surf on his surf board and pulled him to safety.

Narooma Surf Lifesavers and the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter were on scene within 10 minutes.

"A crewman was winched from the helicopter to assist in stabilising the patient while surf lifesavers assisted with first aid until Police and Ambulance crews arrived," Surf Life Saving Duty Officer Andrew Edmunds said.

"The male patient was then assessed on scene and transported to hospital after taking on some water as he was in the water for over 25 minutes.

"There were several rips running and conditions were not ideal for swimming."

Mr Edmunds said the response from volunteers and professional lifeguards along with the Life Saver Helicopter crew was fantastic.

"It is quite a remote beach south of Narooma. However of it had not had been for the man's son pulling him to safety first it could have been a different outcome.

"Today's incident highlights the perils of swimming at unpatrolled locations."

"Lifesavers and lifeguards are on patrol every day these holidays so people should take the effort to only swim between the flags."